If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

getting started with mission design?

01-22-2007, 03:04 PM

Never been into making or designing my own missions for any game, heck...hardly have time to play them as much as I would like as is...

But with Armed Assault, I have too many ideas, and too many goals, so want to learn the basics first of mission designing, not the tactical aspect, I'm pretty well hearsed on that but mainly the know how of using the editor...

Is there any document or guide out there for getting started with the mission editor, kind of like a tutorial lesson or something?

I would like to get the basics down first, to make simple missions to go along with my tactical briefs... basically infantry squad level at first, 9 players...2 teams of 4 plus the squad leader calling the shots... then will move up to adding support forces etc ect... Then learn the advance stuff later as I "grow".

Magnum |TG-18th|

We stand between chaos and order, evil and good, despair and hope - we are the Thin Blue Line, and we will never be broken.

Comment

Some of those tutorials are very nice. I would also suggest getting a pbo extractor from the "tools" section. You can use this to extract any mission from the pbo into a folder. Place the folder into "My Documents/Arma Other Profiles/User/Missions/" and then you can open the mission in the editor to see what makes it tick.

Comment

The biggest thing to remember in ArmA versus OFP is that there is soo much more that is script oriented, in my opinion. The above mentioned links gives you some ideas to decompile missions that are currently made. What I have found works is to unpack a mission and go though it with a fine tooth comb. By doing this you can see what tons of people have done before you as for creating missions. You also get to see how things really “tick” If you would like I would be more than glad to send you some of my missions to get ideas on how to do certain things.

But there are a couple files that you have to become familiar with so you can make a missions:

mission.sqm This is the main file that translates in text placement of units, triggers and markers that you created graphically in the editor.

briefing.html This is exactly what it says. This is the briefing screen (in html format) that says what the objectives are and any notes. This is a locally made file you have to do outside the editor.

description.ext This is a file that tell the server the parameters for the mission (max players etc) It also tells how to deal with respawn, intros and outros to run.

init.sqs This is a little script that tells you how the parameters are set for variable time/weather are given at the main lobby menu

*.ogg Is usually a music file that is converted to something ArmA recognizes

*.sqs/sqf These are all the sexy scripts that enhance the mission. They range from camera view options, enhanced AI actions, Air strikes, Artillery, etc. You can use other people work, the creators normally encourage it as long as you give them credit.

Once you have all the above files in place, you than normally can either “pack” them or have the editor do it if they are stored in the proper folder. It will create a *.pbo file that is the end creation for playing on the server.

A simple mission can be done fairly quickly, but once your imagination takes over it will take a while. Plus if you are like the rest of us, we want the perfect mission to be produced, that takes time to get everything translated from your head to the actual mission that is playable.

"The chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms; and as there cannot be good laws where the state is not well armed, it follows that where they are well armed they have good laws." -Machiavelli

That is pretty much all you need as far as downloads to make a smoking mission...

"The chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms; and as there cannot be good laws where the state is not well armed, it follows that where they are well armed they have good laws." -Machiavelli